In Venezuela’s heyday, the Dominican Republic sourced most of its petroleum needs from that country. Today, the Customs Agency reports that upwards of 75% of fuel purchased comes from the United States. For the first semester of 2021, the government paid US$1.47 billion to import fuel. Of this total, US$1.11 billion were paid to US suppliers or 75.7% of the total fuel imports, Diario Libre reports. This is up from a year ago, when imports were 63% from the United States. In second place is The Netherlands. The DR paid US$113.7 million for the Dutch imports that represent 7.72% of total purchases.
In the past, Trinidad & Tobago had been an important supplier, with a market share that hovered over 10%. As reported, Covid-19 resulted in a lull in production in T&T.
Customs data indicates that natural gas imports are up with more natural gas plants, storage facilities and a major pipeline. Imports of natural gas cost US$226.76 million for the first six months of the year, up from US$121.29 million last year for the same period.
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Diario Libre
23 August 2021